Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts - Judika Illes - Страница 8

Magic is an individual action, undertaken because the cosmos is not believed to be benevolent by nature, or, at least, not benevolent enough to that person.

Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti, London, 1953

Magic spells stem from the observation and consideration of an Earthly paradox.

Earth is beautiful, full of power and promise. Yet despite all that potential for fulfillment and happiness, individual existence is too often harsh, hungry, painful, limited, bitter, dangerous, and just plain miserable. Yes, life holds promise, but will your promise be fulfilled? Can you depend upon benevolent forces of the universe to provide your needs and desires for you, or is further action required? It is significant that Adam didn’t need a book of magic spells until he was forced to leave the paradise of Eden.

Magic is a realistic art, not an idealistic one, although it is a game for optimists. The one thing magic requires is a belief that things could get better.

Not every promise is fulfilled, not every power is realized. Life is not fair. Some are born with looks, brains, talent, vibrant health, all their limbs, and a loving family, while others are not. Some have a head start toward success that others lack, even within the realm of metaphysics. Some come from families immersed in magic traditions, eager to transmit secrets and techniques. Others do not.

Occult knowledge, however, is egalitarian. All you have to do is acquire it. In theory it’s not even necessary to understand it in order to tailor your destiny more to your liking, fulfill your dreams and aspirations and, perhaps most crucially, ward off life’s harsh blows, just like the ancient Egyptians said you could.

Magic levels the playing field.

Magic encourages creativity and inventiveness. It rewards persistence and curiosity. People have discovered thousands of ways to exploit Earth’s natural magic power. There is basically no technique, no material, providing it possesses some life (and, once upon a time, prior to mass industry, there was virtually nothing on Earth that didn’t possess life), that can’t be used for a magical purpose. Magic accesses a huge repository—rock, paper, scissors, you name it, somewhere it has been used in a spell.

Wealth and status are not necessary for acquiring magical power; the crucial requirements are desire, will, curiosity, awareness, knowledge, and education. That is the secret message hidden within the Celtic tale of Taliesin. A poor, beaten, oppressed orphan child is forced to labor endlessly for the great witch-goddess Cerridwen, stirring the fuming, boiling cauldron where she brews a potion capable of transmitting all Earth’s wisdom. By accident the child tastes the brew intended for Cerridwen’s own son. Those mere few drops of wisdom immediately transform a miserable, ignorant child into a shape-shifting master shaman, a pre-eminent wizard, and his ultimate

 Magic is the manipulation of Earth’s naturally occurring powers in an attempt to provide the spell-caster with the success and happiness she or he desires

 Magic spells are deliberate, specific attempts to harness and manipulate this energy, following some sort of formula or direction

 Magic power is inherent on Earth; people didn’t create it, imagine it or make it up. By various means, they learned how to use it: magic spells are the result

 Every magic spell was created by at least one person and probably refined and improved by thousands more

rebirth as a true child of the goddess, a child Cerridwen cannot deny. Who cares about transforming pumpkins into coaches or pulling rabbits from hats? Real magic holds the key to self-transformation.

Although rare, precious materials, gemstones, and fragrant tree resins are packed with power, there’s also tremendous magic in blades of grass, handfuls of dirt, moonbeams, and ocean water. Plenty of the most powerful magic is free, available and abundant for all.